Yes, this investigation has broad public support, intellectual support and media support. However, there are also opponents who are working hard to make sure that this case becomes inconclusive. These include the central media, bar associations and some actors in the higher judiciary. There is also institutionalized resistance by the military; most importantly, there is the support of the main opposition and Deniz Baykal's service as the advocate of Ergenekon. Part of our society is the target of the ongoing psychological warfare. They are trying to deliver the message that the case is a political one, that it seeks to suppress the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) opponents and that it seeks to silence the nationalist and pro-republican actors. And now, for the first time, Alevis and Kurdish citizens who believe that there is a connection between the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Ergenekon want to be included in the process.
Alevi Bektaşi Federation (ABF) Chairman Ali Balkız and Secretary-General Kazım Genç, both targets of assassination plans by the Ergenekon organization revealed in an investigation, filed an application for involvement in the trial process after meeting with Prosecutor Zekeriya Öz. Speaking at a panel in Alanya recently, Balkız said he learned of the presence of these plans from the documents and information held in the prosecutor's office. Noting that the judiciary should be trusted, Balkız expressed his feelings about the developments as follows: "In the documents, I saw photos of my house, the blueprint, my routes to and from my house and the nine persons who would carry out the assassination. At that moment, I recalled the murders of Uğur Mumcu, Necip Hablemitoğlu and Bahriye Üçök by secret groups."
Recalling that the Ergenekon members sought to ignite a conflict between the Alevis and the Sunnis, Balkız calls on the people and the politicians to extend support for the investigation and the prosecutors. Balkız and Genç further asked Baykal to give up his role as an advocate of Ergenekon. I am curious of Baykal's response to this call.
The death wells in the Southeast were opened to solve the unresolved murders. After the DNA tests are run on the remains found in the wells, a new era will start in the region.
The arguments in the second indictment referred to the court a few days ago have already terrified the people. According to a report by the Milliyet daily, the second indictment includes the following crimes:
On July 2, 1993, Madımak Hotel was seized in Sivas during the Pir Sultan Abdal Festival; 37 were burnt to death in the hotel.
On July 5, 1993, PKK militants murdered 33 villagers in Erzincan's village of Başbağlar and burnt the village; they presented this as revenge for the Madımak Hotel incident.
On May 24, 1993, terrorists stopped two vehicles carrying soldiers on the Elazığ-Bingöl highway and killed 33 soldiers. Şemdin Sakık, who was involved in the murders, gave a statement on the incident to the prosecutors investigating Ergenekon. Abdullah Öcalan, who made a statement via his lawyers, implied that Sakık might have committed these murders on behalf of Ergenekon.
Diyarbakır Regional Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Bahtiyar Aydın was shot to death in Lice on Oct. 22, 1993.
Fifteen died in a raid on a coffeehouse, which was frequented mostly by Alevis, in the Gazi neighborhood, İstanbul, in March 1995.
On Sept. 12, 2006, 10 died in a bomb blast in Diyarbakır.
All of these incidents show that there have been numerous attempts to ignite clashes between Sunnis and Alevis, Turks and Kurds, secular and religious people. Will Turkey remain the same country when it becomes evident that these attempts have been sponsored and ignited by an illegal organization within the state?
